No. 0241983·blues·3 blocks
Texas Flood
SRV's tone on Texas Flood (the title track) is a slow blues masterclass in dynamics and touch sensitivity. Unlike the driving shuffle of Pride and Joy, Texas Flood is about sustain, bending, and raw emotion at lower tempos. The tone is heavier and more saturated, with the Tube Screamer pushing the Vibroverb harder and the neck pickup providing warmth for singing, sustained bends. SRV's vibrato is wider and slower here, letting each note breathe and decay naturally.
Texas FloodSignal path · input → output · 8 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (#1 / 'Number One')
Pickups
SSS
Tuning
neck
Strings
eb_standard
Volume Pedal
Deluxe Comp
Scream 808
US Deluxe Vib
1x15 Ampeg B-15
Spring
Tilt
Volume Pedal
← Volume pedal
Level
100%
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compressor
Threshold
-36dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
0.1s
Release
0.9s
Mix
0.7
Level
0dB
Scream 808
← Ibanez TS808
Drive
2
Tone
5
Level
8
US Deluxe Vib
← Fender Vibroverb
Drive
8
Bass
5
Mid
5
Treble
5
Presence
5
Master
1
Bias
0.5
BiasX
0.5
Sag
0.5
Hum
0.5
Ripple
0.5
Ch Vol
8
1x15 Ampeg B-15
← 1x15 JBL D130F
LowCut19.9Hz
HighCut16000Hz
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Spring
← Vibroverb spring tank (cranked)
LowCut200Hz
HighCut6500Hz
Mix
0.3
Decay
0.6s
Predelay
0.0ms
Tilt
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
1000Hz
Level
0
Engineer's note
File 024
SRV's tone on Texas Flood (the title track) is a slow blues masterclass in dynamics and touch sensitivity. Unlike the driving shuffle of Pride and Joy, Texas Flood is about sustain, bending, and raw emotion at lower tempos. The tone is heavier and more saturated, with the Tube Screamer pushing the Vibroverb harder and the neck pickup providing warmth for singing, sustained bends. SRV's vibrato is wider and slower here, letting each note breathe and decay naturally.
— Stevie Ray Vaughan
Sources · Verified by
Field notes for this tone
All field notes →How to Get Stevie Ray Vaughan's Tone on Line 6 Helix
The complete SRV Helix preset guide. Amp model, drive settings, and the secret sauce that makes it sound like Texas.
John Mayer Clean Tone Settings: How to Get That Neck Pickup Sound
A complete breakdown of John Mayer's clean tone: amp settings, signal chain, and exact starting points for that Continuum-era neck pickup sound.
Hybrid Picking for Rock and Blues: Ghost Notes Without the Country Context
Hybrid picking isn't a country-only technique. Mark Knopfler, Albert Collins, and Scotty Moore built careers on it in rock and blues. Here's the technique, where it applies, and the specific moments where using your middle finger changes a phrase from good to right.
